On the eve of the last Monsoon Session of the 16th Lok Sabha, the ruling party seems set to tailor the political narrative for the next general elections, with Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad stressing that criminalising triple talaq and nikah halala is the most important legislative business. In an exclusive interview with BusinessLine , Prasad outlined simultaneous elections and corruption of the Opposition as other definitive contours of the BJP’s political narrative in the election year. Excerpts:

Why the urgency on simultaneous elections? The Congress believes it is a step towards authoritarianism and dictatorship...

No country can be in a perpetual state of elections. It leads to expenditure in huge proportions. Officers are required to monitor the elections, invariably outside their States. Then there is the model code of conduct getting imposed intermittently. It impacts governance and implementation of key policy initiatives. Simultaneous elections is an idea whose time has come. The polity needs debate. Our democracy is now more than 70 years old. This debate is designed to strengthen democracy.

What about the lack of consensus on the fixed tenures of legislatures taking away the Constitutional guarantee to vote and reject any government any time?

We are working towards a political consensus. The Law Commission is hearing all the political parties. With a little pragmatism, a large number of Assemblies polls can be clubbed together. There are three Assembly elections in November this year. Then you have Lok Sabha elections in May and afterwards you have Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, et al. Altogether, we have 11 Assembly polls in close vicinity to the Lok Sabha polls. Subject to political consensus, a forward movement can take place.

And where is the question of authoritarianism? This is a ridiculous argument. If political parties are conscious that a no-confidence movement would lead to President’s rule, there would be more thought on having an alternative in place before they move the motion. It would lead to further maturing of the democracy.

The BJP is ruling over 20 States. Are you ready to dissolve your governments in the service of what you believe is the larger national interest?

These are issues to be considered and decided. It may not be possible to have all the elections together. But if we calibrate and stagger and club elections in a mature and sensible way, we can come to a situation where all elections are held simultaneously.

You are writing to Rahul Gandhi on triple talaq even as we talk. Is this the most important legislative business in the Monsoon Session?

I am saying it with full responsibility — first and foremost, we would like triple talaq to be passed in this session. I am appealing to three women leaders in the country — Soniaji, Mayawatiji and Mamataji. I am saying — will you stand with us on gender equality? I can’t understand why this is not a priority for every party despite the Supreme Court having called it a sin and the Lok Sabha having passed it. It is still being stalled.

Your urgency on triple talaq would be seen as a continuation of the line on Congress allegedly being a ‘Muslim party’. Aren’t you communalising the debate for political benefits?

This is an absurd logic. This issue was part of our manifesto. It has nothing to do with any religion or mode of worship. This is about gender justice. When triple talaq can be regulated in 20 Islamic countries, how can we not do it in India? They (the Congress) are the one making triple talaq conditional to the Women’s Reservation Bill. With every passing day, the Congress’s commitment to women’s empowerment is coming under a cloud. We are proud of our heritage and sanskar from where flows Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. But if there is rabid appeasement of the kind we have seen — where you (Rahul Gandhi) go to Gujarat for campaigning, you become janau-dhari (wearer of sacred thread), in Karnataka, you become super janau-dhari but when you come to Delhi you again start appeasement and say that Congress is a Muslim party — there will be a political response.

This is clearly the kind of communal polarisation you want to achieve with so many ministers joining the Prime Minister in saying that Congress is a Muslim party…

If Rahul Gandhi continues to behave in the way he does, 10 more ministers will hold press conferences. If Rahul Gandhi s not able to appreciate that he is now the President of the Congress and uses derogatory language against the PM and practises rabid appeasement, a political reply will come from the BJP.

Why are you shying away from a no-confidence motion?

Who says we are shying away from a debate? Let them (the Opposition) first have the numbers and a consensus among them to introduce the motion. They want to bring in no-confidence but also create ruckus in the House. How does that work?

The charge is that from using Central investigation agencies to hound prominent members of the Opposition to letting pandemonium prevail in Parliament, the BJP is destroying institutional credibility and heading towards authoritarianism...

Let us not forget that the way proceedings were initiated against Amit Shah was totally collusive political pressure. The case was finally quashed by the courts when we, as lawyers, knew it was false and politically motivated to begin with. Nine sensitive cases were picked against Mr Modi. The Supreme Court examined the issue, set up an SIT and exonerated Mr Modi. Yet there are false implications. The whole saga of the previous government was political witch-hunt. And let me remind you that the case against Mr Virbhadra Singh is pre-NDA and even in Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s case, allegations and exposes were done much earlier. And as long as we are there, Operation Loot will not be permissible.

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